So�This Is Montana Ch. 4
Joey awoke to the sensation of flying. He could hear unfamiliar voices surrounding him as well as a moaning that sounded vaguely familiar. With those thoughts in mind, he slipped back into the darkness.
Sometime later, Joey again heard the same unfamiliar voices right above him.
�Looks like he�s coming around,� a deep voice said.
�Mr. Fatone�open your eyes.� The voice spoke with authority.
Joey moaned and turned his head in the direction of the voice. He felt something cool and damp being placed on his forehead as he struggled to open his eyes. He felt a hand touching his face right before his left eye was forced open and a bright light was shone into it. With a feeble groan, Joey tried to turn away from the light, but failed. Once again he felt the same hand on his face right before his right eye was forced open to reveal the harsh light. Joey reached up and batted at the hand, but someone gently grasped his hands and pushed them back down to his sides. With great effort, Joey forced his eyes open. His vision was blurred and he blinked several times in an effort to focus in on the faces hovering above him.
�Nice to see you�re awake,� said a friendly voice as the voice�s face finally became clear.
Joey numbly nodded his head and winced in pain.
�Do you remember what happened?�
Joey looked at the other face above him. He attempted to clear his throat in order to answer the question, but only succeeded in slightly coughing.
The second face again spoke to him.
�Here�drink this.�
The man slightly lifted Joey�s head up from his pillow and held a cup of water to his lips. Joey took a few small sips before the cup was taken away.
�That�s enough. Don�t want you to get sick.�
�Thanks,� Joey whispered.
�Welcome. Now, do you remember what happened?�
Joey licked his lips and blinked his eyes wearily before answering.
�Wreck�my friends,� he whispered as he felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him. He gripped the sheet that lay over him tightly, trying to fight against the darkness that was threatening to swallow him up. He felt the cloth being removed from his forehead to be replaced with another one, much cooler than the first. The coolness seemed to momentarily revive him.
�Don�t worry about your friends. They�re all okay. I�m Dr. Ralph Parrish and that is Dr. David Granger. You and your friends were brought here to our county clinic about an hour ago.�
�How are my friends?� Joey�s head was beginning to feel like cotton and he didn�t know how much longer he could fight the darkness.
�They�re all a little banged up and bruised, but other than a few stitches, sprains and a broken arm, everyone is doing just fine.�
Dr. Parrish and Dr. Granger watched as Joey�s eyes began to droop.
�I want you to try to rest, but I need to know if there is someone that we should call?�
Joey knew that their manager, Johnny Wright, would be the most logical answer but for the moment, thinking logically was not his strongest suit.
Joey again licked his lips before speaking in a near whisper. �Benson�Harvey Benson.� Joey then allowed the looming darkness to envelope him. His head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness.
Both doctors stepped away from the now unconscious man.
�What would these boys want with Harvey?�
�I don�t know Ralph.�
�Wait a minute David. Didn�t Harvey sell his place to a man by the name of Bass?�
�Yeah�and one of the guys brought in is named James Bass. You don�t suppose��
�I�m going to give him a call.� Dr. Parrish left the room and headed down the short hallway toward his small office. He reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the familiar number. Moments later, a man answered the phone.
�Hello?� Harvey�s voice was groggy with sleep.
�Harvey?�
�Ralph�is that you?�
�Yeah.�
�It�s close to midnight. Did Stan come in again?� Harvey�s voice was sounding irritated as the possibility of another Stan accident crossed his mind. Stan Baker was one of Harvey Benson�s ranch hands, who also happened to be the most accident prone of all his employees.
�No, Stan�s not here. Listen, Grady Simpson and Jerry Price brought in a group of young fellas about an hour ago that you might be interested in.�
�Really? Why�s that?� he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
�Does the name James Bass mean anything to you?�
Ralph heard an audible gasp on the other end of the line.
�I�ll be there in 15 minutes.�
�Be careful. Slick roads are what brought the boys here.�
�I will be. Bye.�
Ralph hung up the phone and returned to the treatment room where the five young men lay on separate treatment beds.
�Boys�you have turned this into one interesting night.� With that said, both doctors turned their attention to treating the 5 patients.